A burden to carry
by Tolkein-Moony
Summary: merlin woke feeling drowsy, a fight with arthur, and getting lost in the woods during a storm! what a perfect day this turned out to be.
1. Chapter 1

**authors notes:** this is one of my favorite types of merlin fanfiction that i write. i hope you enjoy. i will do shoutouts to those who review. ^^

this will have no spoilers for any aired episodes. i will always give a spoiler alert. i hate reading a fic and than having the whole show spoiled!

The sun slowly made its way over the treetops that surround the castle of camelot. Merlin felt the sun on his face as he awoke from a terrible nightmare, although he could not remember anything about it. Merlin found that when he opened his eyes that he was completely exhausted and felt unnaturally drained. His muscles where sore from being Arthur's target yesterday and in fact, merlin thought, for every day before that this week! Merlin groaned as he sat up, raising his had up to his forehead. _I_ _had better get up. That prat of a prince would not be happy if I woke him up late_ he thought, shaking his head silently as he stood up from his bed, which now that he thought about it seemed more inviting that it usually did. Merlin walked to his bedroom door and then began to walk into the main part of the room he and Gaius shared. Merlin was about to wish Giaus a good morning when he released Giaus was not in the room.

"Giaus?..." merlin spoke the word inquisitively, as if expecting him to come out of the broom closet. Merlin shook his head. He was being stupid. _T_ _his is about the time gaius makes his first morning rounds. Why did he not wake me up? M_ erlin thought as he exited the room. He broke into a run so that he would not be late waking up the prince.

Merlin opened the door to prince arthur's room. he did not make an effort to be quiet, nor did he try to be exceptionally loud either. Walking over to Arthur, Merlin released just how tired he was. There was a small sway in his step and a noticeable strain to his voice.

"Arthur..." Merlin whispered. He put a hand to his shoulder and shook him gently. W _ait..._ Merlin thought _why should i wake him up pleasantly? he has used me as a battle target for the past week! payback time. S_ un poured into the dark room when merlin pulled back the curtain.

"Rise and shine!" Merlin shouted. Arthur was thrown into a panic from the sudden, and not to mention rude, awakening.

"Merlin you idiot! What the hell do you think your doing!"

"Opining the curtains. What else?"

"But why are you opening the curtains, Merlin? Hmm?"

"This place needs some brightening up, don't you think?" Arthur threw a pillow at merlins face. Luckily Arthur was still half asleep so almost no strength was applied and it was easily dodged, even in merlin's state of drowsiness. His vision began to blur slightly, but Merlin shook his head and it cleared. Arthur glared at Merlin when he slid off the bed.

"Make yourself useful and start a bath. I don't have anything to do today and I need one before breakfast."

"Of course, sire" Merlin replied as he was to tired to make and argument or a complaint. Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin's complacency but said nothing. As Merlin went to heat the water, Arthur went behind his screen to change.

Merlin began to think as the water sat in front of the fire. W _hy don't i ever get any thanks? It's always merlin do this and merlin do that. I never get any peace, and if its not him it's giaus saying "Merlin clean the leach tank" or "Merlin go fetch me herbs"!_ Merlin's drowsiness was beginning to effect his mood. Je hated being tired and feeling like general crap! When Merlin judged that the water was suitable he poured it into the large tub. not a moment later Arthur emerged from the screen, wrapped in only a towel.

"Are you _sure_ it's hot enough, Merlin?" Arthur asked as he was walking. Merlin sighed, tired of hearing the same thing every time.

"No, it's ice cold! I made sure of it!" Merlin replied, his tone cold and angry. Arthur glanced to Merlin before climbing into the tub. The water was heated perfectly. Not to hot, like one time before when it was so hot it boiled, or to cold like that now winter when they could not get the fire started. "Merlin?" the prince called his manservant over. "Their is a list of chores for you to do over on my desk. I expect you to be finished with them in an hour so you can empty my bath."

"Anything else, _sire?_ " Merlin said in his usual mocking tone. Again, Arthur glared at Merlin even though he could not see, for Merlin was standing behind him.

"No. shut up and go do what i've ordered." Merlin huffed and began to walk to the door.

"ah Merlin? thank you..." Arthur mumbled. He had noticed that Merlin acting strange and was actually feeling sorry for him. S _orry for a servant? When did this happen? A_ rthur thought as he sank deeper into the water. luckily or unluckily depending on your veiw, Merlin had not heard the thanks and stalked off to complete his list of chores.

* * *

Merlin finished his list of chores and trudged back to the prats room with no doubt more orders of work. D _oes it never end? M_ erlin thought, surprised by his own negativity today. Usually Merlin insults Srthur, but never in the cold-blooded anger he had today. Merlin decided to knock on the door before coming in, just to make sure the pra- I mean prince was not dressing. No response came from the door. Arthur had a habit of falling asleep in the bath so merlin came onto the room. Arthur was indeed asleep, so Merlin decided to leave him be, maybe get a seconds rest. After being already so drained this morning, Merlin was ready to drop where he stood. He made it to Arthurs bed, but only just, before falling asleep.

Arthur tapped his food against the ground to a steady rhythm.

"Merlin..." Merlin's eyes opened slightly "Can you tell me what, exactly, you are doing?"

"ahh..." a small sound escaped Merlin's lips and he realized what he had been doing. Merlin was sitting on Arthur's bed, and had been fast asleep.

"I was tired! I almost never get any sleep anymore with both you and giaus ordering me around." Merlin mumbled that last part.

"Oh you where tired? Well" Arthur picked merlin up by his collar and dragged him off the bed. "I think it would be a perfect time to muck out the stables, don't you?

"Why don't you do it , dollup-head? It would do you some good. How's my diet been working out for you?" Merlin said, referencing the instance where he had first called Arthur fat.

"Did you just call me fat? I could throw you in the stocks!"

"ohhhh, scarry!" Merlin said as he walked to the door. He was still tired, but he felt better after that nap. Although he could feel a headache coming for him because of the irregular sleeping pattern he had today. Merlin was at the door when a big, hard, metal object hit him in the head. He swooned forward but caught himself before he hit the ground. D _id arthur just..._ Merlin wondered. A hand reached up to his head and came away wet with a small amount of blood. He turned to face Arthur, and something snapped.

"What was that for!? Do you know how much I have been doing for you today?! How much I have busted my ass around doing whatever you tell me?! Your pretty little princess behind has never been through as much work as I have since I came here! You have no idea what I have done for you and this is how you treat me? Throwing a goblet at my head?" Small tears formed in the young warlocks eyes. Today had caused many things build up inside the usually calm Merlin.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled as his servant glared up at him. " You have no idea how hard _I_ work to keep camelot safe. I don't have time to worry about small things like cleaning or cooking."

"Well, maybe you should take a day off and come down from that pedestal of yours to see how hard we, you servants, work. Gwen included." Merlin stormed out of the room.

"Merlin! come back here!" Arthur fumed. "Don't ignore me!"

Merlin slowed to a walk as he came upon the door to his chamber. His anger melted away. W _hat did i do? Why did i snap like that at Arthur? I know he works hard for the people of camelot. A_ s soon as Merlin entered his chambers, a dizzy spell overtook him. The energy he had recovered during his nap was gone and he was dead tired.

"Merlin? are you alright? You look like death its self." It was Giaus.

"I'm alright, just a bit tired." Merlin replied.

"Alright then i have a favor to ask you."

What is it?" Merlin asked, trying to sound polite for Gains had done nothing.

"Would you go outside the city walls and to the forrest line? There grows a flower I need for a tonic. A fever is spreading throughout the outlying villages in Camelot and I am afraid if I don't treat it there, It will spread even further." Giaus sounded worried, so Merlin could not help but say he would.

"Of course, I will be back before dark, Giaus."

"thank you, Merlin"

Merlin left Giaus to go saddle a horse. He would need something to carry the flowers, for he knew Giaus would need a lot if the fever was spreading.

* * *

Merlin slowed to a trot as a light tore throughout the sky. Thunder laced the air not a second later. Dark clouds loomed overhead. I' _d better make this quick M_ erlin thought worriedly. I _don't want to get caught in th-_ Merlin's thoughts where interrupted with thunder, paired with a dizzy spell that came out of nowhere. Merlin forced his vision to clear and kicked his horse so it galloped to the wood line. Not two seconds after merlin reached the wood line, It began to pour. Merlin was soked in seconds. He began to shiver uncontrollably. The clouds blocked the sun, and darkness surrounded merlin. He could see nothing. His horse, who stood behind him, jumped when a bright stalk of lightning pierced the sky. Almost instantaneously thunder ripped through the silence. The horse brought it's front legs down onto Merlins head! At first all Merlin could see where fuzzy outlines of trees, then everything slowly whent black, along with an unbelievable feeling of pain.

Pain faded in and out, Throbbing throughout his body, But mostly focused on his head. He was cold and wet. Merlin opened his eyes and instantly regretted it. Rain pelted his skin. Memories slowly returned to his head. He began to sit up but was hit with pain, nausea, and another dizzy spell. They where happening more and more. Merlin rolled over and pucked his guts out. He figured he looked pitiful but he did not care. All he wanted was for the pain to stop. When he was finished, He resiled what time it was. It was after dark, After the time he promised Giaus he would be back. Merlin stood and leaned against a tree to his right. He started in the direction that he thought was back to Camelot.


	2. Chapter 2

**authors notes:** thank you for all the reviews! todays shoutout goes to klcutting, who reviewed first. thank you to everyone who reviewed and more shoutouts will come with every chapter. like i said i would worn you if it has ANY spoilers at all, so if this is a SMALL spoiler but if you do not know about gwaine it does mention him. like i said, small spoiler but i thought i would say ^^

arthur sat on his bed listening to his manservant's footsteps descend down the hallway. _merlin was acting strange. he has never lashed out at anyone before. something must be wrong, maybe he is sick or something. i will have to check with gaius later. i don't want to be without a servant after all._ arthur began to reflect on what merlin had said, but mind you he still had his pride. _i will not go see giaus until tonight. if merlin comes to me, so be it, but i will not give up my pride to a servant._ arthur thought. the only reason he was going to go see merlin at all was because of the fact that his behavior was so strange. he would NEVER admit it, but he was quite fond of merlin and worried about him a lot more that he let on.

it was growing dark and gaius was worried. merlin had told him he would be back before nightfall and night had just fallen. gaius trusted merlin, but he also knew of the boy's knack for finding trouble. not wanting to cause a scene, and also knowing that uther would not sent a search party out for a servant, gaius decided that he would give merlin 30 minutes and of he was not back then, he would go and look for merlin himself. the minutes crept by slowly and gaius grew even more worried with each passing second. a storm raged outside, a storm of epic proportions with lightning creating what looked like a rift in time and space. (DW anyone?) thunder shook the castle and more than one bottle fell to the ground, shattering instantly. twenty-five minutes passed. gaius stood and when to the closet that held the coats. grabbing the most waterproof one he could find, he slipped it on, grabbing a bag and shoving a blanket inside for merlin. gaius stood ready of face the storm and find merlin. he- the door burst open and prince arthur cold be seen standing in the doorway.

"merlin!" he called out, looking for the manservant.

"he is not here," gaius replied when arthur stormed into merlin's room.

"where is he? don't tell me he's off sulking somewhere!"

"no he is not." gaius replied calmly. he was surprised by the tone in the prince's voice. _what did merlin do_ this _time?_

"i had asked him to go gather me some flowers that i needed for a tonic outside of the city walls. he agreed and said that he would be back before dark. as you can see he is not back, and i was just about to look for him. it's not good for him to be out in this weather alone."

"it is not good for you either, gaius. i will accompany you."

"arthur, don't trouble yourself. you must be here tomorrow, for uther's birthday. i won't be gone long"

"exactly. that is why i'm coming with you, you won't be long. if i don't have a servant to do all of the chores, how can i be ready for father's birthday?"

* * *

merlin continued walking slowly, step by step, inch by inch, against the wind and frozen rain. _camelot can't be much farther_ merlin thought against the pounding in his head. from his experiences with gaius, he knew he probably had a concussion, for he felt as iff he had a nail embedded in his head. _if i make it to camelot, i can get to gaius... don't pass out_ _merlin_... _don't pass out..._

merlin reached his braking point. he swore that his head would burst if he kept on. he reached out and slowly slid down against the trunk of a tree. slowly his eyes closed and the pain was the last thing he could remember.

* * *

"gaius, you should stay here in case merlin comes back!"

"if you think that is best, arthur. you should take gwaine with you, like you said you should not be alone in this weather."

"i will. if my father asks where i am please stall him for as long as you can, i don't want to have to explain to him why i'm out"

"i will stall him for as long as i can. you can be sure of that."

"thank you, gaius."

"be careful, arthur" gaius warned, watching arthur descend into the lower city. guises had sent for gwaine and he was waiting at the city gates. _thank you arthur_ gaius thought, for he knew that if arthur did not help, he would have never been able to find merlin on his own. _merlin,_ _i know you will come back. don't give arthur to much of a hard time._ gaius thought, hoping that wat he thought was true.

* * *

merlin woke up to the sun on his face. his head was reeled as he tried to remember why he was in the middle of the woods. slowly but steadily memories returned. he remembered his fight with arthur and how gaius sent him to collect flowers for a tonic. _the only question_ merlin thought _is how i ended up in the middle of a_ _forrest at dawn. i was heading in the direction of camelot_ merlinrecapped _wait... oh no! i must have-_ merlin winced _gotten turned around._ merlin stood and looked around. the trees covered the sky so merlin had no way of telling which way is north. _i have to make it to the edge of the forrest so that i can tell which way i am to be going._

merlin began to walk to the edge of the forrest. the pain in his head had mostly subsided to a dull throbbing behind his temple. merlin walked toward what he thought to be the edge of the forrest. suddenly he felt himself slip and fell down one of the many slopes in the forrest surrounding camelot. merlin opened his eyes and realized that he had reached the edge of the forrest. merlin stood and looked out of the forrest

"what have i gotten myself into..." merlin whispered as he looked out at the miles of forrest that could be seen from the cliffside he was standing on.

merlin sat down against one of the trees and tried to calm himself down. he looked over himself and saw what shape he was in. he was tired, covered on scratches and he felt sick. merlin brought his knees up to his chest and rested his hand on his knee. _what a day_ this _tuned out to be_

* * *

arthur met gwaine at the city gates. the rain had began to lighten but only just.

"what has merlin gotten himself onto this time, old friend?" gwaine said addressing arthur.

"gaius sent him to collect flowers for a tonic outside of the city, and he has not returned."

"well we'd better be off then" dwaine said as he settled his horse and rode out of the city followed closely by prince arthur. soon arthur and gwaine reached the edge of the forrest.

"MERLIN!" dwaine called out hoping that his friend was within earshot. "MERLIN!"

"i doubt he is within a hearing distance of us, and his tracks are undoubtably masked by this rain!" arthur shouted over the thunder. "let us gather what information we can and set up a small camp farther in. merlin couldant have gone far!"

"yes, sire!" gwaine replied in a half mocking voice. he would follow arthur anywhere but calling him 'sire' was just to funny sometimes. arthur dismounted his horse and bent down to the ground next to an area whose grasses and shrubs where upturned, most likley by a horse's hooves. hopefully not just any horse's hooves, merlin's horse's hooves.


	3. authors apology

**authors note:** i am so sorry for not posting! i have been so busy over the past couple of days! i promise i will post the next chapter by the end of the week. again, so sorry for being late and thank you for being so kind in your reviews. i promise that i will not drop this story so please trust me. love all of you! ^^


	4. Chapter 3

**authors notes:** thank you for all of your support! this chapters shoutouts go to Invenire and SkyeMadea, thank you! I do not know Uther's real birthdate but if you know please leave a message and I will edit when I can.

Arthur and Gwaine where able to make a small camp just inside of the forrest line. When they woke in the morning, they found that the sun was streaming through the treetops and not a cloud was in the sky. Arthur began to look around to see how much of Merlin's trail had been covered by the storm. Gwaine was busy packing up the small camp that had been made.

"Merlin's trail has almost fully vanished." Arthur stated.

"We will just have to make do with his general direction- wait... what is today's date?" Gwaine had been out drinking the night before, per-usual, and had forgotten the date.

"it's..." Arthur thought for a second, hesitant to tell gwaine for he knew if they waited any longer, Merlin's trail would be completely lost.

"Ah yes! It's the first of Lunias. Arthur, why does the date sound familiar?" O _f_ _course Gwaine wouldn't remember my fathers birthday. They aren't on good terms exactly._

"It is my father's birthday." Gwaine's face lighted with recognition.

"So that's why you didn't want to tell me the date. I'll bet you thought i was going to drag you back to Camelot." Gwaine said as he laughed. "You should probably head back though. I will stay and mark the trail while it is still somewhat fresh. I will return as soon as I can. The king will get suspicious if you miss something like this."

"Fine, but be sure to return to the castle by nightfall."

"Yes, sire." Arthur got onto his horse and rode to the castle of camelot, where Gaius stood waiting for news of merlin, and Uther lied in bed, waiting to be awoken to the festivities of his birth date.

* * *

The only reason Arthur agreed to return to Camelot is because he knew Gwaine was marking the trail, and he trusted Gwaine not to be lazy about it. Arthur shook his head in frustration. Ever since he had seen the look on Gaius's face, a thought had been engraved into the front of his mind: _it's your_ _fault._ He knew the thought was irrational. How could he have known merlin would run to Gaius and be sent on this errand. Still, the thought of loosing merlin without being able to apologize was unthinkable. _But why is it unthinkable?_ Arthur mumbled under his breath. He had not known Merlin for that long, maybe three month's at most. Why did he feel like everything revolved around him apologizing? It game Arthur a headache.

His cape Flourished as he dismounted his stallion. A servant with long brown hair stepped up and began to lead his horse to the stables. Arthur ignored the servant and continued to walk up the steps of the castle's front entrance. Upon arriving at his father's bedroom door, the Lady Morgana appeared beside him.

"Arthur" she said, her voice steady yet concerned. "where were you last night?" Arthur jumped, not expecting the sudden break in the silence.

"out" he replied in a calm voice. he did not want Uther to know where he was and the best way to keep it from Uther was to keep it from Morgana. ]

"out where?" she pressed, clearly not going to drop the issue.

"that is none of your-" Arthur was cut off before he was able to finish his sentence, for Uther had opened his bedroom door.

"father!"Arthur exclaimed, reaching out his arm to embrace him. After Arthur released his father Uther said "My boy, what a pleasant surprise."

"Happy Birthday, Uther!" Morgana said as she presented Uther with a small box she had been holding behind her. "My dear Morgana" He embraced Morgana before accepting her gift.

* * *

Merlin sat with his arms around his knees. His headache had subsided, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. It could mean that his head had gone numb because of pain and he had a severe concussion or that it was just a headache, no concussion and he was fine. He doubted the latter but tried to convince himself anyway. He sighed and held his head in his hands. _how can this get any worse?_ Merlin thought. Then a thought hit him. _Told Gaius that i would be back by nightfall, and it has been at least a day. Gaius might have told Uther, or -or someone! I just have to last until they find me or better yet i find my way back. A fire... the smoke should act like a signal... right? All you need for a fire is... firewood, and kindling, and some sort of spark. I should be able to make a spark with magic, even in this sorry state._ merlin knew he needed to make this fire as soon as possible so he slowly inched up the tree, not wanting the nauseous feeling to come back. once fully upright he pushed off the tree and stood (sort of) on his own two feet. He was wobbly and shaking, but somewhat stable. looking around, he spotted a pile of sticks that had been nocked off trees in the storm last night. Merlin walked over to the pile and bent over. His head hated him for it and took revenge by starting up the pain that felt like someone hammering multiple nails into different parts of his skull.

" _AAAAAAAAAAGH!"_ Merlin screamed as he fell to his knees. _mental note to self: never get kicked by a horse ever again._ After what seemed like forever the pain stopped and Merlin was able to let go of his head and grab the sticks for the fire, as well as a bit of peat moss for kindling. Dropping the sticks he slowly reclined against his tree and started to separate some of the sticks from the rest. He wanted the fuel to last. He was not looking forward to having to go and get more. The wood was wet, so Merlin realized that he would have to dry the wood before he could burn it. He placed his hand bu the wood and whispered _"arida"_ all of the moisture was removed from the wood and evaporated into thin air. Spots danced around Merlin's vision. He knew he had to light the fire quickly before he passed out. Again, with his arn outstretched, he murmured another incantation. _"igneous"_ The wood began to burn. At first it was a small flame but it steadily grew. This time, the effect was greater that harmless spots. He was barely able to get to the nearest bush before his stomach emptied the last of it's contents. Merlin could not breath as he stomach convulsed. Soon it stopped and he crawled back to the fire. he lay down beside it and felt himself drifting of by the steady stream of smoke pouring from the top of the fire.


	5. Chapter 4

**Authors note: sorry its taken so long to update. I've been working on some harry potter fanfics. If you like harry potter please check them out! and please remember the more reviews, the more often I post because reviews mean people like it. ^^**

uther began his morning with a large feast. The banquet hall was decorated extravagantly, with banners showing the Pendragon crest hung along the ceiling. Nobles from the neighboring kingdoms had arrived for the week of celebration. Arthur spoke to his father, talking about little thing, when Uther asked the question Arthur had been dreading.

"Arthur, where is that servant of yours, the one I assigned you a couple of months ago."

"oh, Merlin? he's... uh Gaius had him run some errands, and he uh... well I told Gaius to continue using him for the day. I don't need him."

"alright." Uther said tilting his head up slightly. Thats when Arthur noticed Gaius standing in the corner of the room.

"If you would excuse me father, I have some minor business to attend to."

"Of course. Go on Arthur."

"Thank you, father." Arthur stood from the table and began to walk over to Gaius. Once he was out of sight of the table, Arthur quickened his pace to catch up with Gaius. Once he had caught, He slowed his walk to match Gaius's.

"What is it, Gaius? Has Gwaine found Merlin yet?"

"No, Merlin is still missing, but Gwaine has returned bearing news of thieves, a large group, traveling through the forrest, using old pathways. I thought it would be a good idea for you to go out, telling Uther your looking for them while looking for merlin as well." Gaius spoke ask, spitting his words out as he walked. Again the thought forced itself into Arthur's mind.

 _it's your fault..._

 _No! I won't think like that right now!_ Arthur forced the thought back out of his mind as he said,

"Alright Gaius, I will inform my father and be out of the city with Gwaine soon." Arthur then departed and went back to the banquet hall. People where still laughing and enjoying the large morning meal when Arthur reached his father.

"Father" he began "I must attend business outside the city, a group of thieves trespassing in our woods. I will be back before dawn breaks tomorrow."

"Yes, I would expect no less from my son."

"De well father, and happy birthday." With that, Arthur departed for the armory to pick up some light armor before meeting Gwaine. when he had successfully secured the armor and descended the entrance stairs, he was surprised to see Gwaine coming out of the stables with two horses.

"God, your slow! come on princess, lets go" Arthur glared at Gwaine as he mounted the large black stallion. Gawine mounted his brown mare and they where off.

Merlin awoke to the sound of horses. The beats of hoofbeats as well as whinnying cane from his left. Merlin knew that These where not Arthurs horses, they where to big and made to much noise. Moving as fast as he dared, merlin his in a bush behind his tree. He had moved just fast enough to escape from the sights of the men who rode into merlin's little campground.

"Looks life we came to late, no one is here,"

"They ought to be here somewhere" gruff voices came from the men who mounted the large horses.

"Search! look for anything of value" the same voice who had last spoken spoke again. The men never searched the bushes, only the aria surrounding the fire. the sun went down and the thieves set up camp. Merlin was still in his hiding place, for he was not able to move due to the thieves layout. Merlin had formed a plan, through his constant headache, in the time he had. Finally, when he heard the last of the mens breath even out, Merlin stood. It was dark, the sun had completely descended out of the sky, but the moon was full. Small streams of light seeped through the trees. Merlin's eyes where glued to the ground trying, in vain, to keep the nausea at bay. It was because of this that Merlin did not hear the snapping of a twig beneath his foot.

A sharp pain embedded itself in merlin's torso. He let out a cry as he fell to the ground. Short, uneven breaths came from Merlin's mouth, and with each breath a sharp pain shot through him. When he had hit the ground he had instinctively curled into a ball on his side. Slowly feeling his stomach with his had he felt the hilt of a knife embedded there.

"I knew someone was still here." A new voice came from the deep woods. It was still a mans voice, but it sounded younger. Not as gruff as the others. A man stepped into the moonlight. He looked about twenty years of age. A crooked smile was on his face. Merlin knew him. He was a wanted thief from the far north, known for being cruel, vicious, and bloodthirsty. No one knew his name, so the kingdoms had taken to calling him Vitias, meaning crime in latin.

"who are you?" the thief asked, grasping merlins hair and bringing his face closer. Merlin stayed silent for two reasons, one: he was in to mush pain to talk, and two: he did still have his morals and was not going to reveal his identity that easily.

"no? Well we have time. Edwerd, tie him to that tree and make sure its tight. Vitias kicked merlin and with sharp accuracy, hit the center of the hilt, sending the knife further into merlin's torso. Merlin let out a strangled cry, but did not scream. He would not let this monster get the satisfaction he wished for. When the man, presumably Edwerd, started to drag him toward the tree, leaving anthill of blood, Merlin was graced with uncontioustess.

 **sorry this chapter is so short, i just wanted to get it out there so that you guys will have something to read! I'm so sorry about waiting so long to start this chapter. i will write more often and have longer chapters in the future. that you for reading this far! lets play a game, anyone who had read this far please finish this phrase (one we all know well I'm sure) " _in a land of Smith and a time of magic the..."_ i will give a ****shoutout to the first 3 people who do! Have a day blessed by the happiness and feels of fandom! god bless, _End._**


	6. Chapter 5

**authors note:** I am so sorry that it has been long since the last update, and that I left you with such a cliffhanger. Since the school year has started back up, I have almost no time to post. This story will be placed over the others in terms of updates, and I hope you enjoy what I have in store you you! Shoutout to SkyeMadea, who has been with this story from the beginning and always leaves the best comments ^^ finally i wish to thank everyone who has reviewed, commented, read, and even glanced at this story! it is because of you that this story was made possible. _Now, let the update begin!_ - **WaywardWhispers-69-**

Arthur rode slightly ahead of Gwaine, turning his head this way and that, searching for any sign of life, any sign of Merlin. His sword hung at his side, its beautiful craftsmanship hidden by the thick leather scabbard. Droplets of freezing water fell upon the two men, causing them to shiver with both cold and anxiety, for they did not know in what condition they would find Merlin. Neither spoke. Since he had neither the delights of his fathers birthday celebration, Gaius' instruction, or Gwaine's senseless chatter Arthur was left to his thoughts. _If Merlin is dead, his death is on you. You are killed him. You have betrayed Gaius, he will never forgive you. It is_ your _fault._ These thoughts were on instant replay in his mind, degrading his sanity until he thought he would go mad. Suddenly, Gwaine's voice broke through his trance.

"Arthur, what do _you_ see? Over there, behind the evergreen, I swear I saw movement." Gwaine's hand rose and pointed to a location about ten feet to Arthur's right. looking to where Gwaine had pointed, Arthur shook his head and cleared his mind. _Dwelling on it won't do any good. Right now, I need to focus on merlin. He may still be alive._

"Good eye, Gwaine. The brush _is_ matted more than it should be. Someone was here and in a hurry," Their course was changed to accommodate the newly gained information. Arthur lead, now clearly in the front, and Gwaine trailed behind. As they passed the brush, Gwaine lowered his head to avoid a low hanging branch. His eyes drifted over fresh tracks that looked no more than a day old. Thinking nothing of it, he kept quiet and rode on.

Arthur stopped dead in his tracks. Before him was a sight that chilled him to the bone, although he would never admit it aloud. A dead animal, so distorted that the species was unable to be identified, was hung upside-down from the thick branch of a tall tree. Seven red fletched arrows had been aligned down what was presumably the animals back. Gwaine looked up, Arthur had stopped not ten feet away.

"Arthur? What have you found?" then, in hoping, he asked, "is it Merlin?" An answer was soon given to him. He raised his head to see over Arthur and took in a breath, slowly drawing back. "W-what the hell!? Arthur... this- it looks, seems like I've see something like this before... but I cannot remember where..." Instead of respond Arthur only sat there, staring at the corpse of the distorted animal. There was a pause, a moments silence before Arthur said, "Let us continue on. This only means that we must find Merlin even sooner," _if he isn't dead already_ Arthur added silently.

They continued on for many kilometers slowly growing closer to their destination. Every step brought them closer to merlin who, at this moment, was in desperate need of them.

Darkness was the only thing Merlin could see, but that did not mean it was the only thing he could feel. Pain criss-crossed throughout his body up his chest and through his arms, their pallor lighter than ever. All of it originated from a single part of his body; Merlin could not bear to even think of how badly the area hurt. His mind tried to block it out but with each labored breath it became stronger. Gasping as he woke Merlin's pride gateway to pain for he let out a cry of pure agony.

" _help me... please..."_ The words barely even made it off his tongue before a strong force ripped him off the ground. _Someone is screaming! but who?_ Merlin's mind was gone, replaced with scattered thoughts and pain, so much pain. He could not even recognize his own voice as it cried out.

"Boy! Stay awake... I have m-" The mans face faded in and out of focus; his voice warbled, faded.

Then their was cold. Merlin's wits were about him in an instant. A bucket of lake water had been dumped upon him, thinning out the lake of blood in which he sat and turning it pink. He brought up a hand to the gaping wound to try and stanch the bleeding. Merlin looked down at his torso and saw the mangled flesh. The knife was no where to be seen, so the wounds grotesque glory was clearly visible through merlins ripped shirt. He stayed his shallow breathing and leveled his mind. this process took all of three seconds. Then, he faced his prey. His grey eyes narrowed into mere slits as he glared at the man in front of him.

"Who are you, boy? By the looks of you, a servant. Or that could be a rouse. A noble man, perhaps. Someone," he began to circle Merlin, slowly "Who would wish to do me and my followers harm. Someone... like the king." Merlin, though his mind was clouded and thinking rash, came up with a plan. This man had clearly never seen Arthur before; everyone who had knew he was blond. Merlin's dark hair contacted greatly with the dune mop atop the kings royal head.

"Y-you jest. I would not b-be part of the common rabble, now would I? I am i-indeed Arthur p-prince of C-Camelot. W-what is your b-buisness with me?" The mans face turned at the words 'Arthur Prince of camelot.'

"What is MY business?" anger coursed through the mans veins, causing his voice to shake. He stalked toward merlin, eyes with intent to kill. "YOU! YOU KILLED MY FATHER, MY SISTER, AND MY BROTHER! MY MOTHER ONLY JUST ESCAPED PEFORE YOU CAUGHT AND SLAUGHTERED _HER!_ W-what is my business... my business..."

"Why...?" Merlin whispered. Hatred Flared. The man lunged and caught Merlin by the throat.

"Because they had _Magic,"_ He spat the word like fire from the mouth of a dragon. His eyes suddenly widened, his moth moved but no sound emerged. he slumped forward. An arrow had pierced his back, through his heart. Merlin's eyes went wide. "Arthur..." Then slowly closed.

* * *

" -NLY JUST ESCAPED BEFORE YOU CAUGHT AND SLAUGHTERED HER!" Arthur's head whipped at the sound of an enraged voice shouting from the distance. Gwaine came shooting out of the woods to Arthurs left. They had split to cover more ground and the sound had brought them together once more. Tearing through the woods like a shot from a bow, the two traveled faster than ever thought possible of a Camelot horse to the sound of their only clue. Through the brush Arthur spotted a man. Quickly, he motioned to the side, indicating to Gwaine that he should go right and circle round. Gwaine did it silently and soon was out of Arthur's peripheral vision.

Arthur then lay his eyes on a man. A man that held Merlin, _his_ Merlin, by the neck. Relying on the mans focus on Merlin, Arthur drew his bow and readied a shot. He let go. It was clean. An instant death. Arthurs eyes connected with Merlin's. Other arrows could be heard, released by Gwaine whose targets were the other men surrounding the camp. Arthur dismounted and ran to Merlin, calling Gwaine as he went. Merlins eyes were closed but with a small shake he opened them. He grimaced, and looked over toward Gwaine. Merlin let out a small laugh, pained and weak, but a laugh none the less.

Arthur nodded at merlin and Merlin nodded back. This meant that Arthur did not have to say _this is going to hurt_ and Merlin would not have to respond with _I know._ Arthur put an arm under Merlin and stood, swiftly and without warning. Merlin's dead weight upon him Arthur made his way over to the horse. It was slow, for Merlin weighed a good 70 kilograms, even if he did not look it. Gwaine followed behind, ready to help if necessary.

Now came the hard part, getting Merlin _on_ the damn horse. Loopy as Merlin was now that the pain had blinded him again, he would be no help. Arthur mounded and Gwaine slowly lifted hum up, earning a yelp from the unconscious Merlin. Once they were sure Merlin was settled Gwaine jogged back to his horse and let out a long sigh. Arthur began the journey to Camelot, galloping toward the large white castle. _The danger is not over yet,_ He reminded himself _Merlin is still liable to_ _blood-loss._ But something stayed his worrying. Maybe it was the fact that Merlin was in his arms, going toward help. Unbeknownst to Arthur, something _was_ Keeping Merlin alive when he should have died; the string of fate that tied them to gather, the line of greatness Merlin had not yet done. The care of those who loved him most.

\- If you wish me to continue the story, just say so ; )! i would have no problem with that, Just tell me what you want and you shall have. Love you all and see you next update if the challenge calls. - **WaywardWhispers-69-**


	7. authors note

Hello! I know that I've been a bit lax about updating, and for that I apologize. This years semester has been crazy and I've had no time to update. With summer just around the bend, updates will come flooding soon. This is just a small note to say that this story **has not** been abandoned. If anyone is still interested, this story will be up and running ASAP. Until we meet again, this has been R3DHAND3D-JILL.


	8. Authors note 2

Hello everyone! Well, this story has been one wild ride, hmm? Since a decent amount of people seem interested in the continuation of this tale, I have decided to go through and patch up some spelling errors and grammatical problems in early chapters and write an epilogue. The repairs should take about a week and the next chapter should be posted not long after. Sorry for the wait (I honestly forgot about this story) and I hope you enjoy whats coming. ^^\

P.S. You can read the new chapter without rereading the entire fic, although you may notice a change in writing style and quality. Nevertheless, any and all changes will have no effect on the plot.


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